A Tale of Two Hearts
by JazzYz
Summary: Echo Town is almost desserted, along with it's farm. Until one day, a girl named Rio came changed everything, including one boy's heart. (NeilxRio)
1. Welcome to Echo Town!

**Author's note: This is my first time doing a fanfic. Please no hate. Ideas won't be ignored. So now this Harvest Moon fanfic will begin! Enjoy!**

 **-Jazzy**

 **(Rio's P.O.V.)**

I sat in the over crowded bus, waiting for my stop. All I did was sit there and look out the window, which was covered in dust and dirt. I sighed, _I hope life on the farm will be nice. What was the place called? Echo Town? Sounds nice, but it better be nice,_ I thought.

My name is Rachel, or Rio, as I liked to be called, and I am 22 years old. I had lived I entire life in the city. My father is a manager in a company. He told me about this farm which he owned but was now abandoned. My father said it was his dream to go back and rebuild everything and make it what it used to be, but didn't have any time because of the company he ran. I had brung up the idea of me doing it, and he agreed.

And now here I was, waiting to get there and look at the place. _Finally, I have escaped that horrid city! Haven't had fresh air in a long time! Dad told me to find someone named Dunhill…_

"We have arrived at Echo Town! All passengers for Echo Town may leave the bus!"

The bus driver shouted in the bus. I got up and noticed that I was the only one leaving. I picked up my suitcase filled with only my clothes and my rug sack, caring my 500 gold I got from mom and a water bottle from dad. I got off the bus and followed a path to an area dotted with flowers and a small stream filled with water. It was _beautiful_ , I raced around, admiring everything. I inhaled as much air as I could. Everything was perfect, until a man came into view and fainted right in front of me.

 **(3rd person P.O.V.)**

Rio started panicking. She didn't know what to do. Then a voice spoke, _"Rio! That man needs help, quick!"_ Rio was surprised and whipped around, trying to find the source of that voice. _"Rio! Think about me later! Help the man!"_ Following the voice's orders, Rio nodded. She ran over to the man and looked at him, then knew exactly what he needed.

 **(Rio's P.O.V.)**

I fished out my water bottle out of my rug sack. I gave some of my water to the man. The man coughed, then slowly opened his eyes, "W-Where am I?" he asked. The man got up with me still on my knees. I sigh a sigh of relief, the man's okay, but now the question is does the man remember? I look up hopefully at the man as he looks around. He then smiles, "Oh! I remember now!" he looks down at me, still smiling, and I smile back, I mean, to smile back is the correct thing, right? "Hello! You're the one who helped right? My name's Dunhill, Echo Town's mayor, I suppose you're Rachel? Mark's daughter?" I got up, "Oh, so you're Dunhill, nice to meet you! Yes, I am Rachel, Mark Gionan's daughter, but I rather you called me Rio," I smile.

Dunhill chuckles, "Okay then, welcome to Echo Town, Rio! I guess that wasn't the best way to meet me. You know, I don't have as much energy as I used to before, so I just collapsed when I was coming to escort you to town, this way," he gestures me to follow, so I do. But then I remember the voice. I look back at the hollowed out stump as tall as me near the fishing dock. I am filled with curiosity but I just brush it off and ignore it.

Dunhill and I walk over a bridge and into town. It was so quiet, not like the city. I didn't notice Dunhill looking at me and chuckling while I was awed by how quiet and pretty the town was. "You look tired, Rio, let's go to my place to have lunch," I snap back to my senses when he said the word lunch, "Yes please! That bus ride was 5 hours long!"

We walk up the path to Dunhill's house. It was a small cabin, fit for one person to live in. Dunhill opens the door for me and gestures for me to go in first. "Thank you," I say, smiling. He is so kind. And then I step into his welcoming house.

 **End of chapter.**

 **The romance and love thing might start chapter**

 **2 or 3, so get ready! Thanks 4 reading!**


	2. Is This Life, or Love?

**AN: When I have time, I'll upload this, but just don't expect a chapter a day. School keeps me pretty occupied, but not too much. Anyway, that's all I wanted to say! On with the show! Today's chapter is pretty long!**

 **-Jazzy**

 **Chapter 2:**

 **Is this Life, or Love?**

 **(Rio's P.O.V.)**

I sit at Dunhill's table while he prepares our lunch. I yawn, _Man, I'm sleepy,_ I thought. I almost fall asleep at the table, but force myself to stay awake. I look over to Dunhill's bed in the corner, _That looks comfy as heck, too bad I can't sleep in it._ Dunhill brings our lunch to the table. He explains to me that it's important to eat, but I'm not listening to half of it, all I'm thinking about is getting sleep. I only catch snippets of what he's saying; "Eat when your feeling worn out. Don't over work. Sleep before it gets really late." I pretend like I'm listening to him, nodding to whatever he says.

We finish our lunch and head out, with me feeling a bit more energy in me. We suddenly stop and I know why: two women, a man, and a chubby little boy seem like they're saying good-bye to each other. Apparently, it sounds like the man and the boy owns a inn, but no-one comes to Echo Town anymore, so they decided to move to another town in hopes of getting more money. The man and the boy leave, then the two women started talking about those two, and how sad it was to see them move.

I look back at Dunhill, who seemed to be enveloped in his own thoughts. "Uh, Dunhill, sorry to interrupt your thoughts but who are those people?" I say, gesturing to the two women, "Huh? Wah? Oh, sorry Rio, the woman in the straw hat is Hana, and the one in the apron is Emma. The man and the boy are father and son, and they just moved out, as you can see," there was sadness in his eyes when you looked into them. "Here, let's go introduce you to the town folk."

We walked to the area the so-called 'Emma' and 'Hana' were standing. _Okay I guess that was mean, I don't know if they're nice, so I shouldn't be calling them 'so-called'._ When we approached, Hana turn to us and asked, "Oh, hello Dunhill, and who might this youngster be?" I bow as a hello to elder ones, "My name is Rachel Gionan, and I am 22 years old. If you don't mind, I would like you to call me Rio," Emma smiles, "Hello then, Rio, I am Emma, and welcome to Echo Town! I am the shipper, the one who takes your products and sell them for gold," I brighten up a little, I have now found where I could get money from, "You will receive your gold each morning from the products you shipped the day before," I nod, "Hello, young Rio! I am Hana, the one who runs the General Store, that's where you can buy seeds, tools, recipes, and other products!"

"Now that's settled, I'm going my way to open the General Store, see you all later," says Hana. "I guess I should get all my products shipped, so I should go too! See you two tomorrow, and Rio? If you have any questions about shipping, come ask me!" I nod thanks. Then Emma goes into her house.

Dunhill turns to me and says, "Now, lets take you to the farm!" I grin, Finally! _I get to see the farm!_ Dunhill and I kept walking down the path until we get to an area with a lot of trees, a house, a barn, and really bad quality fields. I look around and see weeds, rocks, branches, and flowers on the farm ground. I sigh, I wasn't happy about it nor upset, I was just annoyed **how** I have to do some more work. But hey! I could get some money if I could just turn the branches and rocks into money, then again I think I should save them for later.

"No-one has been here in a while, as you can tell," Dunhill said, gesturing to the farmland, "Lets start cleaning up. Rio? I want you to pick 10 things up, more if you want," I look around again, the image of the bed in my head has now been blurred because I was determined to bring the farm back to life, so I would do anything in my power to do so.

I raced around, looking for all the things I could find. Once I was done, I went back over to Dunhill, "Great job, Rio! You cleaned up the farm a lot!" I looked around and was satisfied with what I have done.

We went in-side and Dunhill showed me where everything was. Then he showed me the book-case and it has tutorials if I forget anything. "Well, I really think you get some rest now, and I should be heading out. If you got any questions for me, feel free to ask!" and with that, he left.

I unpack all my clothes into the closet. Change into my night clothes and head to bed. I swear the second my head hit the soft pillow I fell asleep.

"Riooooooooooo!" I fall out of my bed. "Gah!" I shouted. Dunhill came in-side, _Who let you in, Dunhill?_ I thought, "Sorry for waking you up, it's kinda…my hobby," I raise my eyebrow, _Hobby?!_ I thought, "I deliver the mail, and you should always get up at six," I sigh, "Okay, can you go now, please?" he smiles weakly, "Oh, so sorry," he says as he goes out. I sigh, Well, guess I better get to work!

"Gotta wait until the General Store opens until I can get my seeds," I tell myself. I started looking around the farm, I would have a lot of farmland if there wasn't any trees. I killed time by going out and looking around the town. There was a red brick house and wooden house that was empty. I asked Dunhill about those and he said the red one was the animal dealer's house and the wooden one was empty. I got to the General Store the second it opened, "Welcome to the General Store, what would you like to buy?" said Hana, and I smiled.

 **(3rd person P.O.V.)**

The next few days Rio did the same things. She would wake up and have a quick breakfast before watering her plants. She also planted grass in case the animal dealer got she would go to the forest. Everything was same until Spring 9th when the animal dealer got back.

 **(Rio's P.O.V.)**

I was about to eat breakfast when I heard a low moo out side my house. I went out-side to see a cow standing near the entrance to the farm, "Hello, now might you be?" I asked the cow. The cow just nudged me gently with it's snout. I laugh, "You're cute!" I tell the cow. I was petting the cow when a blonde man came. He kept a straight poker face and had red eyes, And I thought my bright blue eyes were weird, I thought, "I-I'm Rachel, t-the farmer, nice to meet you," I hold out a hand. I wasn't stuttering because I was scared of him, I was stuttering because I thought he looked cute, _Pull yourself together, Rachel! This guy could be worst than Jordan,_ Jordan was my ex, and I haven't seen him for almost a year. The blonde took my hand, his hand was soft but firm. "My names Neil, the animal dealer," he said sharply, but I didn't care if he was a grump, I was going change that, "And this here," he said, gesturing to the cow, "Is a present from Dunhill, so don't take it too seriously," my face started heating up in embarrassment because I thought the cow was from him, "Here are some tools for her," he said handing me a pitchfork, a brush, and a milker from him, "What would you like to name her?" he asked, I thought my I was lucky I got a present from Dunhill, "I would like to name her Lucky," Neil looked at me, "But that's a boy's name! Eh- whatever, suit yourself. And FYI, I set up an animal store from Monday till' Thursday, from ten AM to six PM," and he left with me standing with the cow.

 **(Neil's P.O.V.)**

I felt awkward around that rancher, I usually feel fine around girls, but this one was different. _I like her,_ I thought, _What!? Why am I thinking that!?_ I shake my head. I couldn't get her blue eyes or brown hair out of my mind. I tried to think about animals, but then the thought changed to Rio looking after Lucky. _I want to be with her,_ I thought. Argh! There's that thought again. I keep walking until I reach my house. _Her laugh is amazing,_ I thought again, "Face it Neil, you like her, it's all you think about," I tell myself. I then get into bed and go to sleep.

 **(Neil's Dream)**

I was wearing a tuxedo and was walking with someone who was in a gown, a wedding gown. I glanced sideways and saw it was Rio. My eye widen. We stop walking once we reached to podium where Dunhill was, "Do you, Neil, take Rio to be your lawfully wedded wife?" I smiled at Rio, "I do," Dunhill turned to Rio, "And do you, Rio, take Neil to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Rio smiled, "I do," Dunhill looked at both of us, "You may kiss the bride," I lean in and kiss Rio as my dream started to crumble…

 **(Neil's P.O.V.)**

I jerk awake with Rio's last words still in my head, _"I do,"_ what has happened to my brain? The wedding, the words, _the kiss._ _ **"I do…."**_


	3. Sick Cow, Hurt Girl

**Chapter 3:**

 **Sick Cow, Hurt Girl**

* * *

 **(Neil's P.O.V.)**

I ate my breakfast in silence, only thinking about my dream. Today was Wednesday, and I had to leave to get ready for the animal store. I was finishing up my fried egg when a man burst though my door, "Thought of knocking?" I say coldly before stuffing the rest of the egg into my mouth. The man was wearing a purple shirt and had black hair, "Actually, no, not for you," he snaps. "What do you want? I need to go get ready to open the animal store," I snap back. He pushes me over to where my bed was, "Lets talk about the cow you sold me…"

* * *

 **(Rio's P.O.V.)**

I headed over to Neil's to bring him packed lunch because whenever he opened his animal store, he looked like he was starving during lunch. The lunch was fried rice, and especially for him, extra spicy. I looked at the watch I got from Dunhill on Spring 10, the time was 8:05. _Neil should be home,_ I thought.

When I got to Neil's house, I heard raised voices. Out of curiosity, I went in-side. Neil and a man with jet-black hair in a purple shirt were yelling about something. I set Neil's lunch on the table, then went back to the entrance in case I had to make a quick escape. The two men didn't notice me enter. The man purple was enraged by something Neil said, something about selling a sick cow by accident. Neil shot a death glare at him and turned his back to the man. The man yelled in rage and turned around, and started walking towards me. I didn't move, I don't know why, "Out of my way!" he barked. What happened next was in a flash, I remember him raising his right fist and thrust it at my left cheek. I yelped in pain, clutching my cheek, which was bloodied heavily. Then the man left. "N-Neil.." I whimpered before swaying on the spot and collapsing.

* * *

 **(Neil's P.O.V.)**

"R-Rio?!" she had called my name, but by the time I turned around, she was lying in a heap on the floor. I rush over to her and pick her up easily because of carrying animal products each day. I gently put her on my bed. Blood was flowing from her mouth, "U-Uh, here, I'll help you!" I pick up a dry towel from my closet. I go over to her and dab her mouth with the towel gently, "That man thought I sold him a sick cow on purpose, but really, he wasn't treating it well," I say angrily, "W-What ab-bout the c-cow?" she says weakly. My eyes widen as she's thinking about the cow, when she's in even worst condition. It's like she was reading my mind, "I won't die, but the cow could," she pushes my hand away gently, "Go," I was awed. But I had no choice but to follow her orders. I get up and take a bottle of medicine, then I leave.

I run after the man and catch him just before he was going to leave, "What do you want?" he snaps. I caught myself before I was going to snap back. "Look, I'm sorry about your cow, but here," I give him the bottle of medicine, "And here's some tips on how to look after a cow…"

After finish my tutorial, he says, "Hey, uh, look, sorry about punching you girlfriend, if she's not your girlfriend, she's destined to be. She even made you lunch, I think she likes you," I blink, Rio? Like me? That's what I want but I don't know if Rio wants to get together, "U-Uh," I stutter, the man laughs, "Why don't you do something for her on Spring Harmony Day? It's coming up soon," then he turned on his heel and walked away, "Thanks for the idea!" I yell after him, he turned around and started walking backwards while waving, "No problem!" he yells back.

I race back to my house to look after Rio. I burst though the door, "Well?" a weak voice asks. "I thought him on how to raise a cow and gave him the medicine," I answer quietly, "I'm not opening the store today, I want to look after you," my face heats up, _Why did I tell her that?_ I thought. She smiles, "I made you lunch," she points at the lunch box, "It's fried rice, extra spicy," I grin, "Thanks," I walk over to her and sit on the edge of the bed. She yawns, then I take the bloodied towel and dry away the remaining bits of blood.

* * *

 **(Rio's P.O.V.)**

I watch Neil as he gently dabs the towel here and there. My eyelids grow heavy and I was about to go to sleep when… when… when Neil leaned in and kiss me, his lips so soft. I kiss him back then everything blurs, and everything is a storm of colors, I then fall back and fell asleep….

* * *

 **(Neil's P.O.V.)**

I cover my mouth with my hand, _What did I just do?! I kissed her! And she kissed me back!_ I thought. I smile and uncover my mouth. I go over to the lunch box and look at the clock on the wall, saying it was 9:55. I was quite hungry after running all the way back to the entrance of Echo Town and back. I decided to have lunch early and unpack the lunch box. I eat the rice in silence, savoring eat bite. _This fried rice is amazing, I'll have to tell Rio that._ I finish and fish out a new towel, wet it with water a little, and clean the dry blood around Rio's mouth. I smile once I was done, then lean in for a long kiss.

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

 **Well, that's that!**

 **Another chapter done!**

 **And Rio and Neil's first kiss together!**

 **Enjoy the rest of the day, folks!**


	4. Pranked to be or not to be?

**AN: Sorry about not posting chapters lately, I've just been busy.**

 **-Jazzy**

 **Chapter 4:**

 **Pranked to be or not to be?**

 **(Rio's P.O.V.)**

I wake up, wondering where I am and why I'm not in my house. I get into sitting position, realizing I was in Neil's house. I remember everything now, the punch, the cow, and Neil's kiss. _Huh, thawing though Neil's social shell was easy,_ I thought.

I spot Neil fast asleep at the table. I walk over and giggle a bit, seeing Neil like that. _He looks like a sleeping puppy,_ I thought. I look at the mess he made on the table: the lunch box was tipped over, with no remainder of what used to be fried rice, a fork was in the box while the spoon was being held by my little sleepy puppy. There was a glass of water that was tipped over and the water was currently dripping off the edge of the table. I sigh, _I'll clean that up for him._

I set to work, cleaning the table until it was spotless. I took the glass and the utensils and cleaned them. I took my lunch box and cleaned that too. While I was working, a noticed a clock behind the chair Neil was sitting- I mean- sleeping in. I stared at it, then got a wicked idea. The clock read 4:43 PM, Spring 20th. If I just turned the date to the 21st….

 **(3rd person P.O.V)**

Rio took the clock down and started tinkering with it. Once she was done, she smirked and put it back up. Then she looked at Neil, then the clock, then at the bed. She walked over to the side opposite Neil and silently slid the chair backwards and sat in it. She stared at Neil for about a minute and a half. Then slowly got up and tapped Neil on the shoulder. As Neil started to stir, Rio jumped back onto the bed and pretended to be asleep.

 **(Neil's P.O.V.)**

I lift my head as I wake up. _I swear I felt a tap on the shoulder,_ I thought. There was a bit of dried saliva on my left cheek. I look out the window stupidly, seeing it was dark. It felt like the weight of sleep was still on my head and shoulders. I look over to my bed, where Rio was still on the bed, asleep, her chest raising up and down. _I wonder what time it is,_ I wondered. I look at my clock, trying to get the weight of sleep off of me. I rub my eyes and then look at the clock. It told me it is was 4:45 PM, Spring 21st, wait-21st!? I-I thought it was supposed to be the 20th! I yelped, "I missed a day of work!" I yelled.

 **(Rio's P.O.V.)**

"I missed a day of work!" I heard Neil yell. I smirked. "Oh no, no, no, no,!" Neil murmured in a upset voice. I sit up and grin. Neil looked at me with worried eyes, I start laughing, but then stopped as I clutch my cheek in pain. But I can't help but keep laughing, "P-haha-Pranked!" I was able to say as I laughed. Neil's look relaxed a little, but it turned into a bitter look. But I saw the corners of his turn up, "That was funny!" I say, still clutching my cheek, "Aw, come on, Neil! You're smiling!" Neil allowed himself to smile, "Okay, okay, I guess it was a little funny," I look at him "'A little'?" I repeat. I smirked, "You sure?" Neil then put on heated look and turned his back to me. I stop laughing immediately and look at the ground, annoyed and upset at how Neil is angry at me now.

"Payback!" shouted a voice before something pushed me, making me fall back. Neil had pushed me back onto the bed. I recoiled from shock, "Neil!" I said, automatically clutching my check, "Oh, I'm sorry," he said with a smirk. "Oh yeah, by the way, the fried rice was amazing," he complimented, "Thanks, I guess," I replied. "Don't tell anyone about our relationship," he told me, "But we just kissed! That doesn't mean we're dating, yet," I add, "Hana isn't selling relationship rings yet, Neil, just be patient, buuuuut, I still think we can still be in a small relationship," I say with a smug grin, "You should stop talking as well, I mean, because of the bruise on your cheek, we need your cheek to heal," he explained. "Huh? I do?" I ask, "Yep, here have this," he walked over to his desk, opened the drawer and took out a notebook and a pencil, "Here," he said, handing both to me, "Use that to write what you want to say," I sigh and write, **_"Okay,"_** then Neil says, "Good girl, here's a present," before kissing me. While we kiss, I smile.

 **End of Chapter**


	5. Dreams aren't Real

**A/N: Hey! I wouldn't mind it if anyone sent me a picture for the cover of this story, because there isn't one and I really want one. I tried making one myself but it didn't turn into a happy ending, (it wouldn't load). If you're interested, just private message meh. Then I'll give you my email so you can send it. I'll give a shoutout to the one who made the picture I post! ;-)**

 **-Jazzy**

* * *

 **Chapter 5:**

 **Dreams aren't Real**

* * *

 **(Rio's P.O.V.)**

I walk threw the cool night that only had a light breeze. What had just happened was going through my head. Then I stop, remembering what I said about a relationship. _What if Neil was just being nice?_ says a voice in my head, _No,_ I criticize myself, _That's not true, he kissed me._ Then I continue walking back to the farm, _Like I said, he was just playing with your mind because he just wants to be nice,_ says th voice again, _Why don't you believe me?_ I sigh, _No, stop it!_ silence in my head, _Okay, okay, but I'm just saying-_ the voice was cut off by me, No!

I arrive at the farm. _I'm talking to myself, real smart, Rio._ I thought. I look over the the barn, where Lucky was, _Lucky, Lucky,_ "Shoot!" I yell, "Lucky! I didn't take care of you!" I say before bolting into the farm to find Lucky asleep. "I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to milk her, and just play it cool with Neil." I say to myself.

I exit the barn and walk down to my house. I go take a shower and change before climbing into bed. I flip the light switch next to my bed off and wait for sleep to take over me. I just lay there, listening to the sounds of the night like they were a lullaby. Soon I fall asleep.

* * *

 **(Rio's Dream)**

I'm running through and endless field of white. Just running. And running, and running. I stop at some point. I'm see something in front. A blob. I run over, just to find my ex-boyfriend. He's hunched over, his shoulders shaking. _He's crying, isn't he,_ I thought, _Such a baby. Stupid Jordan, stupid, stupid, stupid! He left me. He cheated on me. He broke my heart. But I'm passed that now, still annoyed, but passed that now._ I look down at him in disgust. I turn on my heel but then stop at a sight. Another stupid sight. Another Jordan is standing in front of me. The outer edges of him sort of fuzzy. "Come back home, baby." My face heats up at those words he just said. I stomp over to him and slap his face, but my hand just goes through his face. I get even more annoyed. I can't take my anger out on him.

Jordan's eyes turn dark red, almost black. His hands clench and unclench. I breath out long, heavy, breaths, all full of anger. I look behind me to see a still weeping Jordan, still hunched up in a ball. I look back in front to see the Jordan with red eyes. "I hate you," I whisper, "I want you out of my sight." Then Jordan raises his hands to summon other Jordans, "Hehe, you left me." Said the Jordans in a strange, hollow voice. "I didn't!" I argue, they all laugh a strange, crazy laugh, "You did!" I yell, " You cheated on me! You're a coward!" Then all at once, all the Jordans left except the weeping one, the baby one.

* * *

 **(Rio's P.O.V.)**

I wake up with my face hot, full of anger. I stare up at my ceiling above me. I hear a owl hoot in the distance. I sigh and try to fall back asleep. I can't. I'm trying to recall what happened in the dream, since they fade away fast. I don't want to tell Neil about it, but I'll have to tell the new girl who moved in five days ago **(A/N: So sorry! I forgot when she moved in until I looked it up!)** , I have to tell Iroha.

* * *

 **The Next Day**

 **(Rio's P.O.V.)**

I get out of bed and have breakfast, nothing special in particular, just soup. Then I have a quick shower and head outside. I stretch, breath in the refreshing morning air and pull my hair into a ponytail. I still didn't forget about the plans I've made about going to Iroha's house. _I should bring a present, too,_ I thought, _She likes scrap metal for some reason, and I don't really need it even though I've been collecting those a lot._ I water all my crops with the small, metal watering can that was practically useless since it didn't carry enough water. I head in-side the barn and feed Lucky. She mooed after she was done eating and I walk over to pet her. "Good girl." I say. I milk her and brush her, then gave one of those little treats I bought from Neil the other day. I wipe my sweat with the sleeve of my farmer outfit. My father offered me a hat to go with it, but I rejected it. If I had the cow-print hat, I wouldn't be able to tie my hair up in a ponytail.

I finish up my chores and head over to Iroha's house. I'm not even sure why I'll be telling her my dream, but I just fell like it's correct. On the walk to her house, I bump into Neil, "Hey." I greet him. I blush a bit. _Stop it, Rio._ I scold. He smiles and nods, "Hi, Rio, I.. uh.. picked this for you." He starts blushing crimson red and holds up a shaky hand, grasping a moondrop flower. I accept his gift and thank him and continue walking towards Iroha's house.

"I see.." Says Iroha, sipping her steaming mug of tea after I told my story and given her my present, "Weird. So he's your ex?" I nod and sip my own mug. Warmth fills me as I drink the tea Iroha made for me. The moondrop Neil gave me was in my hair, "I'm not really sure why I told you this, Iroha, but it feels good telling someone." Iroha smiles, "Just got to tell someone, right Rio? Why didn't you tell Neil? Looks like the two of you are close," I think about what she just said and reply, "That's the thing though, I feel like if I tell Neil, he might get annoyed at the fact I had an ex."

"But Jordan's an ex!"

"But still! And I feel weird around Neil too, like I've met him before, like a memory trying to break free."

Iroha swishes her tea and sips a bit. "Only time will tell the memory," she says. I look out the window, "Yeah, only time will tell." I look into Iroha's eyes, they simmer with warmth and comfort, "But remember, Rio, that dream wasn't real."

* * *

 **(Neil's P.O.V.)**

I set up my counter and put the animals in their pens. Most of my costumers are girls, and I don't think they're here for animal products. I don't warm up to people easily like how I did with Rio, but it feels like I warmed up to her years ago, when I was still a child. A girl flirts with me. I say, "Excuse me, but are you here to buy something? If not just leave." And after that, she left. She came back 10 minutes later, but only for business. I felt annoyed that this girl flirted with me but Rio never does and Rio likes me. Sure we only known each other for about 6 days, but like I said, it feels like we knew each other when we were children.

I was too busy with my costumers that I didn't notice a bag suddenly appearing from nowhere on my counter top. When I did though, I asked if it was anyone's. One girl tried to convince me that it was her's and she was giving it to me. I pull out a box from the bag and read the note on it:

 _"You look hungry and busy, so I just wrote this note down and attached it to this instead of telling you about your packed lunch I made for you. Hope you like it. It's extra spicy, just the way you like your food, according to you._

 _~Rio"_

There was a smiley face next to her name. I felt kind of guilty that I didn't notice Rio putting it on my counter. I pull open the lid and find the extra spicy fried rice. Rio usually gives this fried rice to me around lunch and tells me about it. I get it everyday, and I think I'm supposed to get bored of it, but if Rio makes it, it feels like a rare occasion eating her food.

I close my shop for a while to eat under a tree near my shop. While I do so, I think about Spring Harmony Day and what the man in purple told me. I think about what I should do for Rio. After a minute of thinking, I knew what I wanted to do and I wanted to go perfectly, but I will have to get to know her a lot. _Tomorrow,_ I think, _We'll chat under the tree near my favorite spot, and I'll prepare lunch and we'll eat and get to know each other more._ I smile, the plan in my head feels perfect, except I'm not sure it will go right, like how last time I did this to the brown haired girl with blue eyes, exactly like Rio's, in my class and everything was messed up by the bullies. By the eighth grade bullies. What am I saying? There won't be bullies this time. But if there are, which there won't, to win is to fight.

* * *

 **End of chapter**

 **A/N: Sorry for not posting anything,**

 **school and stuff.**

 **But then I just got addicted to**

 **watching Attack on Titans.**

 **Love it!**

 **I forgot to do this so I'll do it now:**

 **I do not own Harvest Moon: New Beginning or any of it's characters (I wish)!**


	6. Getting to Know You

**YAY! School's out! Now I can update A Tale of Two Hearts more often. Happy! But within two weeks, I'm going to Japan! So I'm not so sure, but I'll try! I also found a picture when I was searching the web that I loved so I chose it for the cover picture.**

 **-JazzYz**

* * *

 **Chapter 6:**

 **Getting to Know You**

* * *

 **(Neil's P.O.V)**

 _I can do this,_ I thought, _I gotta go ask her._ I had been sitting in my chair for the past 30 minutes, trying to eat my dinner, but my body wouldn't move. My Udon that I made was now cold and didn't look very appetizing. I sigh. _Shoudl I ask her?_ "Hmmmm…" I rest my head on my hand. She should be eating right now. But I remembered that the farmer didn't eating anything for lunch or dinner. I buried my face in my hands. How did I not realize that? Whenever it's around lunch, she comes over and gives me lunch! I'VE BEEN DUMB. "Yeah sure, I'll go ask. It'll make up for all the times she gave me lunch, not really," I add. I get up and walk to the farm.

* * *

 **(Rio's P.O.V.)**

* * *

"Get in, Lucky!" I command as I try to push the sleepy cow into the barn. "Arg! Just get in! Please!" I look into her beady eyes, "Lucky," I whine. "Please!" I plead. I sigh. "Come on." I whisper. "Need help?" I hear a crunch of earth and look up. Neil has his arms firmly on the fence around the barn. "Hey," I greet, "Yes please! She's not getting in." Neil looked at the cow, who was now eating some of the fodder I planted. "So you need my help," I get up, "Thank you for pointing out the obvious," Neil climbs over the fence and raises his arms in defense, "You asked for my help, I said yes, and now you're trying to drive me away?," I fold my arms, "Okay, okay, just help me! " He rolls his eyes, "Okay, jeez." But he then walks over to the cow. He pats her on the head. I walk over to help. Together we push Lucky into the barn. I wipe the sweat on my forehead with my sleeve. "So, what do you want?" I ask. He looks like he just realized why he came here, "Oh, right! Hey uh," he grows a bit pale, "W-Will you come over, uh, to have a picnic lunch with me in the river area tomorrow?"

"Course', I just have to do my chores a little bit quicker, but yeah, sure," I shrug like its not a big deal, except I feel warm in-side. "Should I just head to the river area or meet you somewhere?"

"Just meet me at my house at 12." For each word he says, he looks happier. "Okay then, see you tomorrow, I guess." Neil nods, "Yeah, bye." He turns on his heel and walks away. From behind, he looks like he had a fight with someone because of the hard crunch of his boots on the dirt, his hands in his pockets, and the stiff sway of his hair and shoulders. But if he hadn't turned his face towards me, I wouldn't have seen the smile on his face.

* * *

 **The Next Day**

I wake up and yawn. I rub my eyes, SO TIRED, I thought, MAYBE I SHOULD GO WASH UP., I thought. I head over to the bathroom to have a quick shower and brush my teeth. I go over to my kitchen and look around. "Hmmm…" I make some hot tea and sit down to drink it. "Maybe I should make something for lunch today." Wait, lunch, "Oh yeah, Neil's taking me for a picnic. I should make something for the picnic too. Later."

I head outside and smell the fresh air. "Today's another day! But it does feel like it'll rain later," I look up. The sky was dotted with big fluffy clouds that look like cotton candy, _If I only had some,_ I thought. Not too far in the distance were big gray clouds that might strike a storm soon. I scratch my head, "I hope it rains before lunch," I say, "Or after. But I guess I probably don't have to water my plants."

I go back inside and head over to the kitchen area. "I should make some drinks, maybe iced tea," I point my finger in the air, "Rio approves!" I chuckle at my own joke. I check my watch which read: 9:45 AM, Spring 23rd. I started making iced tea by following the recipe. "Okay add any herb," I mutter and turn around to face the refrigerator and open it, "Hmm," I say as I inspected every kind of herb I have. I finally pick up the camomile, "This should be okay, I guess," I put it in the pot of water I prepared, "And boil for about 30 minutes, then put in fridge," the recipe read. I turn on the stove, "Well, I should be done here."

I lay on my bed as I wait for the tea to boil. "Hey Rio!" A small voice next to me squeaks, "Huh?" I reply. I turn my head to the side to witness a little elf person standing next to my head on the bed, "Whoa!" I roll off the bed and crash into the floor, "Ow.." I mutter, rubbing my knee, "Are you okay?!" The elf boy squeaks. I stare at him in shock. The little elf boy wears a small, long sleeved, shirt with a stitched X in the middle. He wore a pair of small white pants and brown boots. He green hair and pointy ears. On top of his little head was a wooly hat which had a puff at the top and a button stitched to it. He had green eyes to match his hair and had pink cheeks. His brow was furrowed in worry, "Are you okay?" He repeats, "Huh? Oh, uh, yeah," I say, "Who are you?" He smiles, "Not the best way to greet a harvest sprite!" He says with a chuckle. I blink, "Harvest Sprite?" I ask stupidly, "Oh! Harvest Sprite! I've heard about you sprites from legends, didn't think you were real thought," I say. He hops down from the bed and holds out his tiny little hand, "Oh, we're real alright. Well, my name's Aaron, nice to meet you," I stick out a finger to shake his hand, "My name's Rio," his left ear twitches, "I know that already. I was supposed to meet you on the seventeenth but my sister caused a hold up," he explains, "Sister?"

"Yeah, her name's Alice, and she can be mean sometimes," he shivers, "But she's a nice person."

"Oh," I suddenly felt bad for the little guy, "Aaron, who's the older one?"

"We're twins but Alice is older than me by five minutes, I think.."

"What did your sister do to cause a hold up?"

"She kept forcing me to do her jobs that day, and then told me to feed the Harvest Goddess all day the next day, the Harvest Goddess can be hungry, but when she is, she's REALLY hungry," he emphasizes the word really like it was the worst thing in the world. Maybe it is, I thought. "Now I'm gonna take you to meet my sister!"

"How long will it take? Because I'm waiting for that to boil and finish," I ask, pointing at the pot on the stove.

"It'll take about ten minutes," he replies, "Good." I confirm. "Now we're gonna teleport to the place where I live! Don't worry, it won't hurt," he says, "Okay." He then raises his hands and everything disappeared. My arms went tingly and I got kinda dizzy. Then we appeared in a small but lush area with colored stumps at the side. On the other side was a river and pass that were some wild boars near a pine tree. Pass them and there was a slop that went upwards. Next to that was a field of wild flowers and a hollowed out stump. "I know where we are: the river area!" I exclaim, "Correct, my friend," I stare at the hollowed out stump, "And. And, you're, the voice that spoke to me the other day, you told me to help Dunhill," he nods, "Correct again!" He points behind me, "That's how you exit this place," he says. I look behind me and see a log cut in half that played as a bridge to another lush, green, but smaller, area. Next to that were giant rocks that you could jump from one to the other and end up on the main land. "You can visit us anytime by jumping on the rocks and crossing the bridge, but keep in mind that we're only here on sunny days," I nod, "Got it, but who is exactly, us?" Aaron starts his sentence, "Well, me and my-!" He never finished his sentence because a loud, "HIII YAHH!" Rang through the air and then the force of a moving bus rammed into me. "Help!" I cried as I flew through the air. I waved my arms blindly until I hit the ground with a loud THUD which knocked all the air out of me. "Urgh…" I moan as I get up. I start rubbing my back, "Ouch.."

"Alice! You made Rio fly through the air! And you made her get hurt!" Aaron was yelling at a another sprite who was paying no attention at him, she looked more interested in her hand. This sprite looked exactly like Aaron but had a frown and was wearing purple clothes and instead of a cross on her chest, there was two stitched lines. "Harvest Goddess will be mad at you, Alice!" The sprite dressed in purple growled and turned towards Aaron with a glare which instantly made his ears droop towards the ground, "Be quite, Aaron! It.. uh… was Rio's fault for standing in the way!"

"Hey! At least tell us you're coming first!" I yell at her with a frown. "I didn't say 'hi yah' for nothin'," I rolled my eyes, "You know what? Forget it and let's redo everything," I said, a bit irritated. The sprite, which I assumed to be Alice (course), nodded and smiled, but it looked more like a smirk, "Like your attitude, Rio, I'm Alice, Aaron's sister," Aaron walked over to me, "The bratty one and only one," he whispered so only I could hear him. I snort, _At least he has a sense of humor,_ I thought. "What did you say, Aaron?!" Aaron gave her a nervous grin, "Nothing, sis.." He said weakly, pulling his hands over his face in defense, "Hmph, that's what I thought! Now Rio, its time that you know what these are," she says, gesturing to the stumps, "These are musical stumps, if you hit them with a hammer, they'll create a noise! Now Aaron will explain the rest," Aaron's face had the look of utter betrayal, "B-But Alice! That's so much!" Alice looked at Aaron out of the corner of her eye, "Better start now then."

I sighed, _Seems like it's taking longer than expected,_ I thought. For the pass 7 minutes, Aaron has been explaining everything while Alice sat lazily on the bright red stump, "So now you know everything about these," I snap back to my senses, "Huh? Oh, yeah, I – uh – know everything now.." Aaron bounced happily, "Good – whew – thank goodness I'm done.. Are you happy now, Alice?" Alice looked up from her nails, "Shut up," was the response. Aaron crossed his arms, "I was expecting a 'thank you'." After a moment Alice shot, "Sorry.. Not sorry," at Aaron, which took him by surprise, "Alice! Jeez, I'll make sure the Harvest Goddess will have a word with you!" Alice gave him a death glare, resulting in Aaron going pale, "Never mind…" He muttered. "Uh, can I go home now?" I ask, "I have business to tend to," Aaron turned to me and bowed, "So sorry, Rio, I will now teleport you to your house," Alice waved, "And make sure you find one of the musical sheets!" I raise an eyebrow, "Musical sheets?" Alice looked at Aaron, "And make sure you explain it to Rio when you guys get to her house," Aaron sighed, "Okay, sis…"

"Okay, so that's everything covered about musical sheets… This one's in the house of a man with a brown hat," I nodded. "Okay, I'm going back now. Visit anytime!" And then he vanished. "Phew. Now that's taken care of, the tea should be ready." I walk over to the kitchen and turn off the stove. I pour the tea into a jug and put it in the freezer.

* * *

 **30 MINUTES LATER**

 **(Neil's P.O.V.)**

I walk over to the farm with a basket full of food in my hands. "Rio?" I called as I knock on the door of the farmhouse, "You there?" She opened the door, "Hey. I made some ice tea for us to drink, if you don't mind," I shook my head, "Not really. I also made sandwiches for us to share and I actually bought some ice-cream from Bluebell as well," Rio ran inside and grabbed a jug of iced tea from the fridge along with some cups. I open lid of the basket and she puts the jug and cups in. "Let's go." We walk in silence that didn't feel awkward. We walked until we got to the waterfall next to the bridge in the river area. I reach in the basket and pulled out a checkered picnic blanket. I put the basket down and lay out the blanket with Rio helping me. We sit down and take out some sandwiches.

We eat in silence. Rio pulls out her jug and pours herself a cup of tea, "Ah, refreshing!" She exclaims, "Can I have some?" I ask, "Sure." I quietly sip my ice tea, "There's been a question that's been on my mind," seconds later she ask, "What is it?"

"It's kind of a stupid one but, how do you know I like spicy food?"

"Oh, I asked Dunhill because I wanted to make sure I didn't screw up and make something you hated. What do you hate exactly?"

"Sweet stuff, especially chocolate cake," I growl, "It's disgusting."

She looks at me like I'm an idiot, "You serious? Sweet stuff's the best!"

"Says you."

We eat in silence and watch the water rage as it fell from who knows where. Rio gulps the remaining bit of sandwich and scotches over to the edge of the cliff and dangles her legs over it. I gulp the remaining of my sandwich and scoop two balls of ice-cream for the both of us and put it in two small blue bowls. I crawl over to Rio and offer the bowl along with a spoon, and she took it. "I thought you hate sweet stuff," she says, "Yeah, I do. But I felt guilty if I didn't get dessert for this because of how many times you make a great lunch for me."

"..Oh.."

"I also wanted to show you this," I say, pointing at the waterfall, "It's my favorite spot in the forest, actually, it's my favorite spot in the world. It helps me to forget all my problems,"

"I shouldn't ask about those problems, should I?"

"It would help if you didn't," we stop talking for a while. Several minutes later, I felt something wet drop on my nose and I look up. Mean, gray clouds had swarmed the skies. "Uh oh…" Rio whispers, "Get everything and let's run to my house," I suggested. Rio agreed. I grabbed the blanket and stuffed it in the basket and Rio picked up the bowls and spoons and threw them in too. Rain started to fall more rapidly as we ran. Rio laughed as she tried to keep dry by shielding her face with her arms.

We were a bit soaked when we got back home. I took off my magenta coat and hung it on a chair. _Well, that didn't go as planed,_ I thought. "Um… Well… That was fun," Rio said, "Let's do it another time! But maybe indoors, like my house, just in case," I nodded but didn't say anything. "Well, see ya later," Rio said before grabbing onto the door handle, "Wait!" I cried out, "You forgot your jug and cups! Also, take my umbrella," I offered. "Thanks," she said when she was ready. Rio gave me a little wave, "I'll bring this umbrella back tomorrow, okay?" I nodded, "Bye," she said and she dashed out the door and in the direction of the farm.

I sighed. _Dang I didn't get to know her very much, maybe a walk around the forest should do_. _I want to do something special that she will like on Spring Harmony Day,_ I thought. I change out of my clothes and into dry ones and lay on the bed. Later, I fall asleep.

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Note: Soon it'll get more crazy. You'll see…**


	7. A Friend in the Forest

**A/N: Sorry bout the long wait! I made this chapter long to soothe your nerves! :) And I'm going to try to make sure each chapter is 3,000 – 5,000 words long!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7:**

 **A Friend in the Forest**

* * *

 **(Neil's P.O.V.)**

"Thanks," Rio says as she hands the umbrella from yesterday. I nod, "No problem, Rio," I turn around to get back to work, "See you later then," and then she walks off. I pull up a chair and sit, then I put my boots up on the fence that contained the animals. I whistle a song as I wait for someone to come buy something. "Excuse me," a voice says above me asks, "Hmm?" I look up. A boy around my age looks down at me. He wore goggles on brown hair. He also wore a yellow vest and had blue eyes. I widen my eyes as the boy smiles, "Rod?!" I get up and push the chair behind me, "Hey buddy," he says as his grin gets wider, "What are you doing here, Rod? I haven't seen you for years!" Rod laughs, "Neil, I've been living in Mineral Town for a while, as you know," I give him a quick nod, "And now I think it's time to move, so I'm moving to Bluebell to sell my pets and that means I can visit you! I've missed you, bud," He stretches his arms wide for a hug, I climb over the counter and give him a quick one. "Why can't you just move to Echo Town?" I ask, a little disappointed, but I'll take what I can get. He frowns, "Well, Echo just doesn't have houses, so I can't move here."

"Oh," that was the end of that conversation, "I thought I come visit you as I move to Bluebell." I smile, "Well, at least you did, and I'm happy about that," he swings his arm around my neck and ruffles my hair, "Missed you so _much_ buddy!" I push away the hand in my hair, "One, don't ruffle my hair, it's embarrassing." He gives me a smug grin, "How is it embarrassing? We're best friends!" I shrug, "Only my dad does that," his grin changes to a smirk, "Only your dad? Man, what a sad life you have." I chuckle. "Can you go for a walk with me? I want to spend time with my long lost best friend!" He gives a small laugh, "Hmmm… Maybe. How bout' lunch?" He claps his hands together, "Great! I'll go for a walk on my own for now." I remember the times we spent in the woods as teenagers and remember what horrible mapping skills he had, "Don't get lost there!" His face grows red and he pushes me in a friendly way, "Hey! I'm taking that as an insult! I know I can't work out which way to go, but I don't have bad memory! Not like someone I know," he adds. I give him a half smile, "It's not my fault that I can't remember what happened in my childhood!" He snorts, "Is too," I act like what he just said never happened.

"Bye! See you later!" Rod calls over his shoulder as he walks into the woods. I nod and get back to work.

* * *

 **(Rio's P.O.V.)**

"Irooooohaaaa!" I yell at her door. She comes out with a startled look, "What's wrong Rio?!" She asks franticly, "Did something happen?!" I shake my head, "No no. Nothing like that."

"Well, that's a relief! So… What do you want?" I point to the entrance to the woods behind Neil's cart. "Um… What about it?" I roll my eyes, "I want to go for a walk with you." She shivers and I raise an eyebrow, "Iroha, is it cold for you?" She shakes her head, "No, it's not that," she drops her voice to a whisper, "It's the animals." I manage a quick laugh before she gives me a death glare, and I murmur 'Sorry' and look away.

"Hurry up, Iroha! I thought you're a blacksmith!" I call from the top of the hill, "Huff.. Rio… I've only, huff-huff, been a blacksmith for a few seasons! Heck, I didn't even receive the proper training!" She pants as she tries to keep up with me. "I've only been a farmer for some weeks! Stop being such a wimp, Iroha!" She frowns, "Hey! When I get to you missy, you're gonna wish you've never been born!" I stick out my tongue, "Well you go to catch me first!" I turn on my heel and dash off, giggling like crazy but then I stop when I hear a whimper, "Huh?" I get down low, trying to find the source of the voice until Iroha pounces on me, "Gotcha!"

"Hey!" I push her off and bring a finger to my lips. She tilts her head to the side in a confused manner, "I heard something." I whisper. She gives me a nod of understanding and keeps quite. I hear a whimper again and again and follow it to a bush. I look into the bush to find a figure in-side it. The bush shakes a bit and I part the bush to find a small dog that was covered in mud. The dog whimpers again and I felt bad for it. It looked like it was hungry and cold. "Here, boy." I slowly stick out my hand for it to sniff it but Iroha swats my hand away. "Ow! What you do that for?!" I growl, rubbing my hand. "Are you crazy?! It could bite you!" I roll my eyes, "Iroha, it's a small dog, even _if_ it bit me, it wouldn't hurt that much." She looks at me like I'm the stupidest person she ever met, "It could have rabies!" I look at the dog and shake my head, "Definitely no rabies – wait," I raise my eyebrows, " Do you even _know_ what rabies are?" She bites her lip, "Um.. A bad thing?" I give her a slight nod, "Yeah, well… Yeah. But this dog doesn't have rabies." She crosses her arms, "How do you know?" I look at her like _she's_ the stupidest person I've ever met, "Because there's no foam around the mouth, and plus, if it had rabies, it would have bit me already and I wouldn't be here right now, I would've been rushed to the hospital." I shake my head moved my hand closer to the dog. It gave me a sniff and wagged it's tail. It started panting historically. "Oh gosh, must be thirsty." I murmur. I dig though my rug sack and pull out the water bottle I packed, "Sorry, boy, I don't have cold water right now, but if you could come to my house, I would defiantly give you some cold water." I say sweetly as I poured a bit of water into my cupped hands. I scooch closer to him and let him drink the water from my hands. In a matter of seconds, he had licked all of it away and looked up at me as if begging for more.

I poured the water for the fourth time for this little dog. Once he was done drinking, he stood up and tilted his head, "Maybe he's hungry," Iroha suggested, "Wow, I haven't heard a word from you since we discussed that this dog doesn't have rabies." She crossed her arms and ended the conversation with a 'Hmph'. I roll my eyes, "It was a joke!" She scrunches up her nose, "It wasn't a very nice one." I ignore her and dig through my rug sack in hope of finding food. "Sorry, boy, I don't have any," I finally say with a frown. I look at Iroha hopefully, she shrugs, "Sorry," I heard her say, "It's okay, we'll just head back to the barn to give him food there –!"

"Wait, you're not taking _him_ there, are you?" Iroha interrupts. I raise my eyebrow, "Course', who wouldn't?" She whispers, "Me." I pick up the dog, and to my surprise, it didn't struggle. _Must be a very calm dog,_ I thought. I point to a low, hollowed out stump, "Let's take that so we don't have to go down the hill," Iroha frowns, "I don't know, Rio."

"Oh come on, it'll be fine!"

"Oh, alright." She says as she twirls her hair with her fingers. We move closer to the stump and I suddenly push Iroha in. "Riooooooooooooooo!" She screamed as she fell through. I jump in after her.

As I jump out, I see an angry Iroha and Neil being helped up by another boy. "You okay, Neil?" The boy with brown hair asks. Neil waves it off with a frown, "I'm fine, would've been better if Iroha here didn't come out of nowhere." The brown haired boy chuckles. Neil gets up and brushes himself off, "Jeez, Iroha, when did you know how to fly?" Neil shoots at her as he crosses his arms and frown. "Stop being such a grump, Neil!" Iroha shot back. The brown haired boy rolls his eye and sticks out his hand to Iroha, "Hey, I'm Rod, Neil's only best friend." He chuckles at his own joke. Iroha takes his hand with a friendly smile, "Nice to meet you, I'm Iroha."

I puff out my cheeks, "Hello? I'm still here you know…" Rod kneels down, takes my hand, and kisses it, "I'm sorry, m'lady, and who may you be, Princess?" I flushed a shade of red and look at Iroha, who's lips turned upright and starting laughing her face off. I then look at Neil who just gives me a smirk and says, "You got a lover!" In a teasing tone. I whisk my hand away, I _got a reputation to withhold, better play along,_ I thought. "I am the the Duchess Rio, and I have a few rules to cover," I tut in my silly royal voice, "Rule number one: never call a duchess a 'Princess," I proceed to hit Rod on the head with a fake fan, "Rule number two: Never kiss a duchess on the hand unless the duchess offers the hand. Understand? Good. Now those were my rules. Continue along your work, pheasants!" Rod chuckles, "Yes m'la – I mean," he stands up and gives me a slow bow, "Duchess Rio." Neil rolls his eyes, "What duchess are you? Only having two rules. I'd say you're a weak duchess." Rod looks at Neil straight in the eye, "Well I'D say she's a nice one, give us only two rules to remember! Hehe… Okay! No more time to dilly-dally! I've noticed something in your arms there Rio – that is your name, right?" I chuckle, "Of course silly! Now this thing here," holding up the dog I just found up so everyone could get a good look at it, (A/N: Heh, you guys probably forgot about the dog by now XP ) "Is a dog! Well, a small one, but still a dog!" Rod started inspecting it, "I run a store called, 'Rod's Pets', and I sell pets and other pet stuff. Hence the name. I'm pretty good with pets. This little fella' needs a bath first. Then some food and water. And lastly: sleep. He looks tuckered out! Where'd ya find him?"

"Over yonder." I reply. "Oh, a cowgirl, now are you?" Neil smirks, "I thought you where a duchess!" I roll my eyes, "Well, I AM a rancher in real life, so yes, I am a cowgirl."

"Oh, you are, are you? Well, this pup you found here is a herd dog!" Rod exclaims as he starts walking, "Would you be so kind as pointing us to your farm? We need to get this guy a bath!" Iroha widens her eyes, "What?! I'm not touching that!" Rod wrinkles his nose, "Hey! Don't insult the guy!" I whisper to him, "She's afraid of animals." Rod's mouth shaped into an O, "Oh, that makes sense." He whispers back. "I'm going back home!" Iroha suddenly declares, stomping her foot down, "And tell me when you're done with Mr. Muddy over here! Because I want to hang out with Rio for the afternoon!" I wave Iroha off, "Okay, okay! We can hang later! But for now, Neil, Rod, and I are gonna help the poor thing!" Neil raises his eyebrow, "When did I say I wanted to help?" Rod softly elbows Neil, "Quit being a jerk! You know you want to help!" Neil sighs, "Alright, I'll help, but just because you asked me!" Rod shakes his head and muttered, "Liar."

We get home and fill my bathtub with water. I plopped the dog in it and Rod and Neil helped me wash him. I was amazed by the dog's fur: it was white as clouds. "Wow…" I was awed. This dog had the most beautiful fur I've ever seen. It looked up at me with big eyes, "I think he likes you, Rio." Rod said. "Or he's just asking her for food." Neil suggested. I shrugged, "I don't have any dog food."

"Oh! I have lots of dog food in my cart. I'll get it for you, but its going to take about an hour to get to there and back. Give the little guy some water for now." Rod offers. "And here, just a touch to make the little guy cuter." He pulls out a blue scarf and tied it around the dog's neck. "Aw, he looks like the sky!" I squeal. "Hmm… Sky… Why don't you name him that?" Neil suggested.I look up at him, "Do you think I can keep him?" I ask , dreamingly. Neil shrugged, "I don't see why not." Rod nodded, "Okay then, it's settled. Sky the herd dog. Guess it's yours now, Rio." I smile at the dog, "…Yeah… He is…" I say more to the dog than to Rod. "Okay, I'll be back once I get the dog food." He turns around and walks out.

I play with the dog while I wait for Rod to get back. "Like animals, don't you." It was a statement not a question, that Neil asked. "Yeah, when I grew up, I had a cat called Tabby." Neil chuckled, "I had one too! Um, I think his name was Silver," I look at him, "Huh, why was that?" I ask sarcastically. Neil glared at me, "Hey! I didn't know what to name him! He was a gray color, so I named him Silver!"

"My cat was a gray color too," I shrug, "Must be a coincidence."

"Hm, maybe it is, Rio. Well, my cat's name fit in perfectly with my family's surname."

"I suspect you're going to tell me what your surname is?" I ask. He rolls his eyes, "Thanks, Sherlock. Well, my family's surname was Grayson."

"Hmm.. Nice name for a grump like you." Neil frowns, "Hey!" I shrug, "Just take that as a compliment!" Neil waves the air, "Fine, fine."

We spent the time talking about our childhoods and enjoying each others' presence. "I didn't like my father very much when I was a teen. He was quite grumpy and would just burst out suddenly with something mean to say," Neil told me. "Sounds like someone who I know." I chuckle. Neil glares daggers at me, "Hmm… I wonder who it is." Neil says sarcastically. I roll my eyes, "Just carry on with your story."

"Fine. Well, he was a grump for a while. After a few months, he just…. He just…. Seemed out of it…" I raise my eyebrows, "…What… do you mean?" Neil looks down, "I don't know if I'm going to regret telling you this or not. The only other person who knows what I'm going to tell you about is Rod. He's been my best friend for as long as I remember, and I don't remember much." I try to put on a blank expression which, to my surprise, I was able to manage, "Tell me about Rod after you tell me about your dad. And, for some reason, I don't remember anything from the age of fourteen and down, so… maybe it's natural? Eh, just go on." Neil sighs, "If you say so." I stop him, bewildered, "No! I mean, you don't have to do it if you don't want to!" Neil looks away and whispers, "It's fine."

"Around the age of fifteen or sixteen, my father started getting really angry. I asked him what was wrong, but the only answer I got from him was a grunt. I asked my mom, and what she kept saying was that he had lots of work. I can't read peoples' eyes really well, but I can read my mom's. She was keeping something from me, and so was my dad. Yes, Rio, I tried to investigate the situation," Neil says as I was about to say something. I shut my mouth and gesture for him to go on. He gives me a slight nod and continues. "I stopped trying to get answers and stopped bothering people about their problems because I thought they could solve it on their own, and I did the same to myself. I locked myself away in my room most of the time and played video games all the time. I started to get shy and depressed because I had no social life. I regret locking myself away because of what my father did to himself. I would go down for dinner. My father was still the same. He kept ranting on about things I didn't care about. I started getting bad grades and then that's what my father ranted about for a month. 'Nicole, why did you give birth to an ignorant slut?' Is what he said to my mother at the table, or, 'I always knew from the start that my child would fail… At life.' I didn't cry, but it still tore me apart to know that my dad hated me. I looked up to him, I loved him, but only to find out he didn't love me back. I actually believed him for a small period of time. After a while, he stopped ranting all together. Sometimes I would catch him staring off into space. He…" Neil pauses, and gulps, collecting himself, "He got addicted to drugs," I gasp. "I'm so sorr –!" I start. "No." Neil interrupts, "Don't. Say. Sorry." I nod, "Go on with your story then." He sighs, "Alright. He got addicted to this one specific drug that made you feel like you are dreaming even though you're awake, says the scientist. My dad thought that the only way to 'wake up' was to… to… kill yourself." I widen my eyes, "My mom tried to stop him so many times. I caught him cutting himself once. I rushed to my mom and told him. She got hurt, but not seriously injured." He stops and looks down. I walk over and pat him on the back, "It's alright. You don't have to tell me more. Not even about how you met Rod, save that for another day."

"It feels good to know someone in the village who now knows my back story, well… a little bit of it." He shudders. "You okay? It's not cold, right?" He shakes his head, "No, it's not. I.. I just remember my teenage years. When I got bad grades, he kicked the door down and came into my room, un-looped his belt and hit me with it. Once I walked in on my dad hitting my mom for no apparent reason. He kept saying, 'You did this! You're the reason of HIM.' My mom loved me dearly, but we were both scared of father. She was so scared that she did he told her to do. But she still tried to protect me. I eventually got good grades and was able to stop my dad, but that was when he was drugged." The only thing I could say was, "Neil."

A couple of minutes later, Rod had come back. "Got everything!" He exclaimed upon his arrival. Sky ate happily as we watched him. "Well, I gotta go now, if I want to make it home." Rod said, looking out the window. It was soon to become dusk and then he won't be able to see anything. "Bye Rod, and thanks for the dog food!" I shouted after him as he walked away with Neil.

I played with Sky until we were both tired. I kept my animals and went to bed. _Man, what a crazy day,_ I thought, _Glad to be in my bed, with my new friend at my side._ I reach down to pet Sky. Before long, I had drifted off to sleep…

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 **End of Chapter**

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 **A/N: I'm going to answer the reviews that you guys have been asking. I'm going to do this for every chapter. Also, sorry that these are late, but I sent PMs to everyone listed here saying something, most likely an apology.**

 **Tailor of our Hearts:** Yeah, sorry about that! But I hope my mistake is fixed now!

 **Dynamite Mafia:** Of course! Everyone has a soft side! Heh, yeah, I thought it was funny too :P :D

 **xLadyxChaosx: (Chapter 2 review)** Neil does fall in love quickly, but you'll see why! Hmm, let's see about Jordan!

 **xLadyxChaosx: (Chapter 4 review)** Yeah, I'm slowing it down, and making sure they get to know each other! (And still keep their personalities :P )

 **Thank you all for the reviews! They mean so much to me! And they help me learn from my mistakes! :D**


	8. Update: Sorry!

Sooooooooo sorry! I couldn't make any, because of my new school, my new Wii U ;) , and me just being lazy. I'll try to get the next chapter out this week! Thank you so much for being patient! Just be a little bit more and I'll make the next chapter! I'm still very young and not the best writer, but I'll get there! (Middle school's just being hard on me ;( )

~Jazzy


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